3 Reasons Why You Should not Subcontract a Project you are Halfway Working on

Posted on November 21, 2018 | Written by Cheptiony Mutai | Category: Freelancing Tips

Let's say you are working on a project with a 5-day timeline. On your third day, you are done with the first draft of the video. You share it with your client. Your client is impressed but still needs a few changes.

While you plan to make the changes, you receive a call from a different client who wants you to go out and film something for him/her for 2 days, and it's urgent. You don’t want to disappoint the two because they trust your service. What will you do?

In a scenario like this, you might consider foregoing one project and hiring someone else to do it on your behalf. Now, here comes the problem: some clients (especially in filming) insist that you be there yourself. This is where you have no option but to assign someone else the project you are currently editing.

If you do so, you will be making a big and costly mistake—unless you are assigning it to your assistant editor who works with you in the same office. Here are three reasons you should not hire another freelancer to continue with the project you started:

1. Delivery Time Will be Much Longer

Considering that it may take you 1 day to find a suitable freelancer to take over the project, having them understand the presentation style, idea, and so forth will take you another 1-2 days. He/she will have to send you their version, then you review it before sending it to the client. This will mean another 1-2 days back and forth. At the end, you will not have met the deadline.

2. Some Clients Will Notice the Change in Hands

Many online clients are very keen. By just watching the video, they will quickly notice that someone else made the changes/revisions. They ask questions like: "The transition effect at 1:02 is not smooth. Did someone else edit this video?"

3. You May End up Loosing Both Your Time and Money

Some freelancers are excellent at what they do but they lack one discipline: **communication**. They may communicate well during the interviewing process but end up taking more than 24 hours to respond to your messages when the delivery time comes. In such scenarios, you may resort to close the job and do it yourself, bearing the pressure from your client. If you had made a down-payment, you will end up losing both your time and money without any progress.

Conclusion

If you find yourself in a situation like this, it’s important to discuss with your client the possibilities of extending the delivery deadline. You will be surprised at how cooperative the client is in accepting your request. Such a bold step displays your professionalism and honesty.

And that is it from me today. Till next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.

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